Who are the Amerindians?

A:

Quick Answer

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Amerindians are the aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Inuit and Aleut peoples, however, are frequently excluded from the category of Amerindian as they are considered closer genetically and culturally to other Arctic peoples than to Amerindians.

Keep Learning

Amerindian is a portmanteau of American Indian. Amerindians are also known as aboriginal Americans, indigenous Americans and Native Americans. The Encyclopaedia Britannica states that the ancestors of Amerindians crossed a land bridge from Asia around 30,000 to 12,000 years ago when sea levels were low enough for that to be possible. These ancestral groups were nomadic, relying on hunting and gathering for sustenance.

Related Questions

Native American clothing varied based on the region and tribe. However, certain commonalities existed, including that men wore breechcloths, attaching leather leggings when the weather grew colder, and women wore leggings with skirts. Most nations had some kind of footwear, but specific styles varied. After European settlers arrived in North America and began to drive the tribes from their lands, these variations began to vanish.

The Earth is divided into four hemispheres, which are known as the Eastern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, Western Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere. The equator, which has the geographical position of 0 degrees latitude, is the dividing line that separates the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere into two equal halves. The imaginary line that separates the Eastern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere is called the prime meridian, which has the coordinate of 0 degree longitude.

Continents in the Western Hemisphere include all of South America, almost all of North America, and parts of Europe, Africa and Antarctica. The world is divided into four hemispheres: the Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern.